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A sellout crowd of 19,568 packed Time Warner Cable Arena® on Friday to see the Bobcats beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 98-83.

“I thought our defense was great,” said Bobcats Head Coach Larry Brown. “Having Tyson (Chandler) back was a huge lift, especially against size like that.”

Chandler logged 15 minutes of playing time for the Bobcats, scoring six points and grabbing four rebounds in addition to his strong defensive presence that changed numerous shots in the lane.

The Bobcats (29-31) trailed by three after the first quarter, but outscored the Lakers 26-17 in the second for a 49-43 halftime lead and never looked back.

“I thought they (the Bobcats) did a great job pressuring our guards, creating tough plays for guys to get to the ball, and running to passes when guys weren’t stepping hard enough to the open spots,” said Lakers (46-17) Head Coach Phil Jackson. “They came out with full pressure. We had a good first quarter, but couldn’t sustain it.”

While the defense was able to slow down the defending World Champions, the Bobcats offense was lights-out as they shot 51 percent from the floor. Charlotte also shot well from 3-point range, going 6-for-12 on the night.

“We played with confidence and we didn’t back down,” said Bobcats guard Stephen Jackson. “We made the first hit and I think we were the more aggressive team tonight.”

Jackson led the Bobcats with a team-high 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Gerald Wallace added 17 points of his own and grabbed 10 rebounds. Charlotte also got a good lift off the bench from Tyrus Thomas (14 points), D.J. Augustin (12) and Gerald Henderson (6).

“We did a great job team-wise,” said Wallace. “We shared the ball, we moved the ball, we penetrated and took advantage of what they gave us.”

The Bobcats are now 7-5 all-time against the Lakers, and are one of only two teams that the Lakers have a losing record against (Boston, 120-152).

The Bobcats will be back in action Saturday as Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors (17-44) come to Time Warner Cable Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and tickets are available at bobcats.com.